Fastener for container covers



Sept. 3, 1935. W. E. HELLER FASTENER FOR CONTAINER COVERS Original FiledMarch 15, 1935 6 W f A 2 w M m F 3 1&- m 1 Z .L 6 0m n 6 m 2% n t 4227 1mm 4 m 5 O Patented Sept. 3, 1935 that AYE OFFl E FASTENEE FOR CONTAINERCOVERS Walter E. Heller, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to David C. Shepard,St. Paul, Minn.

Application March 13,

1933, Serial No. 660,447

Renewed February 6, 1935 19 Claims.

My invention relates to fasteners for container covers and particularlyto covers used in conjunction with containers open at their upper ends.An object of the invention resides in providing a fastener whereby suchcover may be either temporarily or permanently secured to the containerwith which it is used.

, An object of the invention resides in providing afastener forcontainer covers by means ofwhich the cover may be readily and easilyapplied to or removed from the container. 7

Another object of the invention resides in constructing the containerwith a downwardly facing. shoulder and in providing the cover with amember having a part for engagement with said shoulder to hold the coverattached to the container. i

An object of the invention resides in providing a resilient member forengagement with the shoulder of said container.

A still further object of the invention resides in constructing the openend of' the container with a hoop encircling the same and forming thedownwardly extending shoulder. r A feature of the invention resides inproviding a plurality of fasteners secured to said cover for engagementwith said shoulder at various localities about the periphery thereof.

An object of the invention resides in providing a retaining member forholding said fastener members into engagement with said shoulder.

A feature of the invention resides in constructing said fastener memberswith bights and in providing an elongated retainer member embracing allof said fastener members and lodged within the bights thereof.

An object of the invention resides inconstructing said members withfingers adapted to engage beneath the shoulder of the container, saidbights being formed in proximity to said fingers.

v A still further object of the invention resides in constructing thecover with a body portion and a flange depending therefrom and inproviding the fastener members with parts imbedded within the body ofthe cover and with other parts imbedded in the flange thereof andissuing outwardly from the lower edge of the flange of the cover.

An object of the invention resides in constructing said fastener memberswith eyes having parts adapted to extend beneath the shoulder of thecontainer and forming abutments for engagement therewith and inthreading said retaining member through the eyes of said fastenermembers.

A still further object of'the invention resides in constructing saidfingers with cam surfaces for moving said fingers into a position toperrnit of the application of the cover to the containei.

Other objects of the invention reside in the 5 novel combination and.arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterillustrated and/or described.

In the drawing;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container illus- 10 trating theapplication of my invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of the fasteners used with theinvention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cover shown in Fig. 1 detached fromthe container proper and illustrating a modified form of fastenerapplied thereto.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a 20 modification of theinvention.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Figs. 2 and 5 showing still another form ofthe invention.

For the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention, I haveshown a container iii which is constructed with a Wall structure It bestillustrated in Fig. 2. The container is open at the top as indicated atE2 and is closed at the lower end thereof through a bottom, not shown.Inasmuch as the particular construction of the container forms nofeature of the invention, the same has not been described detail in thisapplication, though it can readily be comprehended that any suitableconstruction such as is now well known in the art may be employed.

The open end it of the container it is closed through a cover it (Figs.2 and 3). This cover is constructed wtih a body portion i l which coversthe open end [2 of the container and is further constructed with aflange i5 which extends downwardly from the body portion and along thewall i i of the container.

' A hoop l6 encircles the upper end of the wall structure it of thecontainer proper and is rigidly secured thereto. Where the container isconstructed of paper, hoopit may be likewise constructed of paper andglued to the wall structure ll. Where other forms of construction areemployed, the hoop may be constructed in the customary manner andsecured to the wall structure in any suitable manner. The hoop it isformed with a downwardly facing shoulder ll by means of which the coverit is held attached to the container proper.

Distributed about the periphery of the cover a5 l3 are a number offastener members I8, [9, 20, and 2|. All of these fastener members beingidentical in construction, only the fastener member 2! will be describedin detail. This fastener member is shown in detail in Fig. 4iand isconstructed from a length of resilient flat ribbon or a metal stripwhich is formed in the desired shape by bending. This fastener memberconsists of a part 22 which is adapted to be imbedded in the flange E5of the said cover. Another part 24 depends from the part 23 and isformed at its extreme end with a looped portion 25 which forms an eyeand an abutment 21 at the upper end thereof. When the cover is applied,part 24 follows along the lower portion of the hoop it which isconsiderably longer than the flange l5 and the abutment 2'? extendsbeneath the shoulder ll engaging the same and holding the cover attachedto the container.

The cover I3 may, if desired, be constructed from sheets of paper gluedtogether and pressed in suitable dies to form the body portion 14 andflange l5. When the cover is so constructed a number of sheets fromwhich the same is formed are first placed one upon the other with a suitable adhesive therebetween. The fasteners l8, i9, 20, and El are nextplaced upon the sheets so disposed and the remainder of the sheetsplaced upon these fasteners. Thereafter the composite structure ispressed in suitable dies toform the body portion 14 and flange l5 andthe formed cover allowed to set and dry. When properly cured anextremely rigid and substantial cover construction results in which thefasteners are firmly imbedded. When the cover is so constructed theparts 22 of the fasteners become irnbedded in the body portion M of thecover and the parts 23 in the flange 25.

In the application of the cover to the container the following is theprocedure. The parts 24 of the various fasteners are normally bentinwardly as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In applying the cover to thecontainer the cover is placed upon the open end of the container withthe looped portions 25 resting upon the upper edge 23 of the hoop l6.Due to the fact that the portions 25 are circular in form the loweredges 29 thereof are curved and operate as cams which engage the cornersof the upper edge 28 of the hoop l6 and causes the parts 24 of thefasteners to spread outwardly and allow the looped portions 25 to followalong the outer surface 39 of the hoop i5. When these portions comebelow the fastener H of hoop E6, the resiliency of the parts 24 of thevarious fastener members cause the said looped portions to springbeneath the shoulder fl and to bring the abutments 2'! into engagementtherewith. 'The parts are so disposed that when the abutments 21 engageshoulder H, the under surface 3| of body portion ll! of cover I3 restsupon the upper edge 28 of the hoop 16.

After the cover has been applied, as described, the same is temporarilyheld in place through the action of the abutments El and may be removedby the insertion of the fingers beneath the looped portions 25 of someof he fasteners and the bending of the portions 24 of said fastenersoutwardly to permit said eyes to clear the hoop 6. The cover 53 may thenbe raised upwardly at such locality and the procedure completed untilsufficient of the fasteners have been disengaged to permit of theremoval of the cover from the container.

For the purpose of permanently holding the cover 13 applied to thecontainer, a retaining member 32 is employed which may consist of apiece of wire which is successively threaded through the various eyes26. The ends of this retaining member are twisted together as indicatedat E2. Retaining member 32 becomes lodged beneath the shoulder ll ofhoop I6 intermediate the fastener members l8, I9, 20, and 2! and isfirmly seated against the outer surface 34 of the wall structure I l ofthe container proper. When the retainer member 32 is so disposed, thesame serves to restrain outward movement of the various fastener membersand prevents disengagement of the abutment 21 from the shoulders 37 ofthe hoop Hi. In this manner the cover is firmly held attached to thecontainer proper and accidental removal of the same prevented.

If desired, the portions 22 of oppositely disposed fasteners may beformed continuous and may extendcornpletely across the body portion E4of the cover l3. Such construction is shown in Fig. 4 which illustratestwo straps '35 and arranged to cross one another and con-fined withinthe body 14 of the cover proper. These straps are provided at their endswith downwardly projecting parts 31 similar to the parts 23 and E4 ofthe form of the invention shown in Fig. 3. At the ends of these partsare provided looped portions 38 identical with the looped portions 25and which serve the same purpose. In the form of the invention shown inFig. 2 it becomes impossible to pull the fasteners out of the cover. Atthe same time the straps 35 and 36 operate to stiffen and reinforce thecover and to prevent breakage thereof when the containers are stackedone upon the other.

In Fig. '5 I have shown another form of the invention which is quitesimilar to that shown in Fig. 3. In this figure corresponding parts willbe indicated by the same reference numerals as in the other form of theinvention. The fastener illustrated in Fig. 5 is indicated in itsentirety at 39 and is provided at the part 23 thereof with an inwardlyextending finger 48 which is adapted to engage beneath the shoulder H ofthe hoop !6. At the end of the finger 4!! is provided an angularlydisposed part M which serves as a cam the same as the part '29 of thelooped portion 25 and operates to spread the fasteners apart when thecover is being applied "to the container. Between the finger "40 and thepart 4! is formed a bight 42. The retainer member 32 instead of beingdisposed within an eye such as shown in the form of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, rests in the bight G2 and is held frommovement with respect to the fastener through the same. The manner ofusing the device shown in Fig. 5 is identical with that shown in Figs. 1and 2 and the retainer member 32 functions in identically the same"manner as previously described.

If desired, the construction shown in Fig. 5 maybe formed with a loopedportion at the end of the part 4|. In Fig. 6 such construction is shownin which like reference characters are used to designate similar parts.The looped portion formed at the end of the part 4-! in this form of theinvention is designated by the reference numeral 43. In this case, theretaining member 32 is threaded through the eye in the looped portion 43instead of being disposed in the bight 42 as is the case with the formof fastener shown in Fig. 5.

My invention is highly advantageous in that an extremely simple andpractical construction is provided by means of which the cover for thecontainer may be either permanently or tem- The cover is easily appliedto the container by the cover thereof.

exerting downward pressure upon the same which through the action on thecams on the fastener members cause the same to become spread apart andto clear the hoop. As soon as the container has arrived at its properclosing position, the

abutments or fingers on the fasteners snap into engagement with theshoulder on the hoop thereby holding the cover properlyapplied to thecontainer. Through the action of the retainer memher the fasteners maybe permanently held in engagement with the shoulder on the hoop therebycausing the cover to become permanently at tached to the container. Ifdesired, the ends of the retainer member may be secured together througha suitable seal for preventing tampering with the contents of thecontainer. When the cover has been properly applied, the parts of thefastener are disposed within the confines of the container as determinedby the flange of My invention can be con struoted at an extremelyeconomical cost and from materials readily bent into the desired formand applied to the cover during the construction thereof. Due to theangular parts of the fasteners the fasteners become securely imbedded inthe flange and body structure of the cover, thereby preventing thepulling out of the fastener. Where the parts of the fastener aredisposed within the body of the cover and extend completely across thesame, said parts serve to stiffen and reinforce the cover and at thesame time prevent the pulling out of the fasteners.

Changes in the specific form of my invention,

as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what isclaimedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a container open at its upper end anda covertherefor having a downwardly extending flange, a downwardly projectingshoulder on said container disposed beneath said flange and a resilientmember secured to said flange and having a part projecting below saidflange for engagement with said shoulder to hold the coverattaehed tosaid container, said part being urged into engagement with said shoulderthrough the resiliency of said member.

2. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor having a downwardly extending flange, a downwardly projectingshoulder on said :ontainer disposed beneath said flange and a resilientmember issuing outwardly from the lower edge of said flange and having apart adapted to engage said shoulder to hold the cover attached to saidcontainer, said part being urged into engagement with said shoulderthrough the resiliency of said member.

3. In combination with a container open at its upper end and providedwith a hoop at its open end having a downwardly facing shoulder, a coverfor the open end of said container and a plurality of resilient membersattached to said cover, each of said members having a part forengagement with said shoulder, a retaining member embracing all of saidresilient members and operating to hold said parts of the resilientmembers in engagement with said shoulder, and means on said resilientmembers for holding said retaining member in place with respect to saidresilient members.

4:. In combination with a container open at its upper end and providedwith a hoop at its open end having a downwardly facing shoulder, a coverfor the open end of said container and a plurality of members attachedto said cover, each of said members having a part for engagement withsaid shoulder, a retaining member embracing all of said members andoperating to hold said parts or" said members in engagement with saidshoulder said parts being disposed between said retaining member andsaid shoulder, and means on said members for holding said retainingmember in place with respect to said first named members.

5. In combination with a container open at its upper end and providedwith a hoop at its open end having a downwardly facing shoulder, a coverfor the open end of said container, having a flange extending downwardlyalong said hoop, a plurality of members attached to said cover andextending downwardly along said flange and toward said shoulder, fingersformed on said members for engagement with the shoulder of said hoop,and a tie member embracing said fingers for holding the same inengagement with said shoulder, said fingers having means thereon forholding said tie member from movement relative thereto.

6. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor having a dormwardly extending flange, a downwardly projectingshoulder on said container near the open end thereof and below saidflange, an elongated member having a part imbedded within said cover andanother part imbedded within said flange and projecting-outwardly fromthe lower edge thereof, and a finger formed on said last named part ofsaid member for engagement with said shoulder.

7. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor having a downwardly extending flange, a downwardly projectingshoulder on said container near the open end thereof and below saidflange, a resilient member having a part imbedded within said cover andanother part imbedded within said flange and projecting outwardly fromthe lower edge thereonand a fingerformed on said last 1 named part ofsaid member for engagement with said shoulder, said finger being urgedinto engagement with said shoulder through the resiliency of saidmember.

8. Incombination with a container open at its upper end and providedwith a hoop at its open end having a downwardly facing shoulder, a coverfor the open end of said container, a plurality of members attached tosaid cover and extending downwardly along said hoop, said members havingfingers thereon for engagement beneath said and a retaining memberthreaded through said F eyes and encircling said container for holdingsaid abutments against said shoulder.

10. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly facing shoulder on said container near the openend thereof and a plurality of members attached to said cover andoverlying said container, said members having shoulders for engagementwith the shoulder of said body and means engaging all of said membersfor holding the shoulders thereof in engagement with the shoulder ofsaid cont-ainer.

11. In combination with a-container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly facing shoulder on said container near the openend thereof and a plurality of members attached to said cover andoverlying said container, said members having shoulders for engagementwith the shoulder of said body and a retaining member encircling all ofsaid members and holding the shoulders thereof into engagement with theshoulder of said container.

12. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covetherefor, a member on said co tainsformed with a downwardly facingshoulder, a resilient member attached to said cover and overlying saidcontainer, said member having a part for engagement with said shoulder,and a cam on said member beyond said part for engagement with the memberon said container, said cam operating to said resilient member and toguide the engaging part thereof into engagement with the shoulder.

13. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a member on said container formed with a downwardly facingshoulder, a resilient member attached to said cover and overlying saidcontainer, said member having a part for engagement with said shoulderand being movable toward and from container, said member being normallyflexed to urge said engaging part into engagement with said shoulder,and a cam on said resilient member for engagement with the member on thecontainer, said cam causing said flexible member to move in a directionaway from the container.

14. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly projecting shoulder on said container near theopen end thereof and a resilient member attached at its upper end tosaid cover and de pending therefrom, said member having a laterallyextending part near its lower end for engagement with the shoulder. allof said resilient member beyond said laterally extending part beingdisposed below said shoulder.

15. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly projecting shoulder on said container near theopen end thereof and a resilient member attached to said cover andhaving a part extending downwardly along said container and another partfor engagement with said shoulder, said first named part being bendableto procure movement of said second named part of said member into andout of engagement with said shoulder, the resiliency of said memberoperating to urge said second named part into engagement with saidshoulder, and a finger piece on said member for disengaging the secondnamed part from said shoulder.

16. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly projecting shoulder on said container near theopen end thereof and a resilient member attached at its upper end tosaid cover and depending therefrom, said member having a laterallyextending part near its lower end for engagement with the shoulder, andan obliquely extending part projecting outwardly and downwardly from theinner edge of said laterally extending part, said last named partserving as a cam for bringing said fastener into engagement with saidshoulder and as a finger piece for disengaging said part from saidshoulder.

17. In combinationwith a container open at its upper end and providedwith means having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open endof said container, a plurality of fingers for engagement beneath saidshoulder, resilient means for attaching said fingers to said cover andurging said fingers toward the shoulder, and cams on said fingers forforcing said fingers away from the container while the cover is beingapplied thereto.

18. In combination with a container open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly projecting shoulder on said container near theopen end thereof, an elongated member attached at its upper end to saidcover and depending therefrom, said member having a laterally extendingpart near its lower end for engagement with the shoulder and beingbendable to procure engagement of said laterally extending part withsaid shoulder, and a finger piece on said member disposed below saidlaterally extending part for disengaging said part from said shoulder.

19. In combination with a conta'mer open at its upper end and a covertherefor, a downwardly projecting shoulder on said container near theopen end thereof and an elongated bendable member attached at its upperend to said cover and depending therefrom, said member having alaterally extending part near its lower end for engagement with theshoulder, and an obliquely extending part projecting outwardly anddownwardly from the inner edge of said laterally extending part, saidlast named part serving as a cam for bringing said fastener intoengagement with said shoulder and as a finger piece for disengaging saidpart from said shoulder.

WALTER E. HELLER.

